The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-27
Lord Beresford Gets Into a Great Row
Over WhatLO0 Like Small Matter.
The English Commons Continues the Work
of Amending the Land Bill-Rome Will Not
Interfere with the Knights Of Labor.
THE IRISH COERCION LAW.
The Authsrities Embarrassed by the Preseni
Condition of ireland.

The Authsrities Embarrassed by the Present
Condition of ireland.
Special to the Indiarapolis Journal
LONDON July 90 Now that the government
has armed itself with q coercion law for use in
Ireland prescribing punishment for every Of
fense hitherto known and bringing into the cate
CORY of crime many acts hitherto regarded
perfectly legitimate and proper, it is brought TO
standstll by the discovery that the number of
persons who can be coerced by that sweep
ing act is infnitesimally small. Indeed, the al
most entire absence of crime in Ireland
at the present time is causing a
feeling OF wonderment among the Dublin
Cast le and Downing street officials, and has set
those WORTHLESS to asking each other If it is not
possible that the govern ment has been the
victim of woefui misrepresentation in regard to
the condition of Ireland. However that may be.
it will not do for the government to back down
now, and crime must be found in Ireland, or the
Tory party must go to the wall. In this view
the government has revised the list of Irish
magistrates sheved the old and inactive squires
and appointed vigorous young fellows in their
places. with special instructions to see that no
violation OF the crimes law is permitted to go
unpunished These instructions mean, of
course, that they shall nose out offenders
against the newly structures of
the ambiguous and elastic act, and to
it that every person arrested is found guilty.
After all the worriment and evaporation the
government has undergone in the effort to pass
the bill, it is still more exasperating TO find that
there is nobody to coerce and crime to pun
ish. 1t is not now expected that the recommen-
dation oe the Lord Lieutenant OF Ireland that the
National League be forthwith proclaimed and
suppressed will be acted upon, since it cannot be
found that that organization is engaged in
acts that, even under the law
especially enacted for the purpose
of destroying the league. be
construed into crimes, and the government will
scarcely brave public opinion to the extent of
gratutously crushing or attempting to destroy
a body against which charge of iagrant vio-
Iation can be brought. Whatever may be done
in the enforcement of the will be done quietly
and on a comparatively small scale for the
present. at least. Mr.. John Morley will
probably give notice, within very short time,
of the issuance of Liberal address condemi.ing
the acts aud policy of the government and the
subject win in this way be thoroughly venti-
lated.
A fair idea of the manner in which the gov
ernment's proclamation of the Irish counties is
received may be gathered from the fact that
when the placardS announcing the proclamation
posted in Limerick the corporation of that
city met and unanimously passed resolutions
declaring the proclamation to be an attack upon
the rights of free speech and political orgauiza-
tion, and as such deserving of public condemna-
tion
Mr.. Balfour. Chief Secretary for ireland. in
reply TO questions in the House of Commons,
this afternoon defended the proclaiming under
the crimes act of counties in Ireland which
in partially disturbed state. He said that it
true that the public statistics of crime did
not indicate serious state of things in ireland,
but he reminded the House that besides the
corded outrages the government were guided by
other information furnished by responsible Off
The government could not admit how
ever, that the constitutional liberties of anybody
bere taken away by the proclaimine of the
counties. [Cries of oh "Oh," and cheers
Mr. Gladstone's address to the Liberal and
Radical union council. at Memorial Hall, next
Friday, is expected to be scathing denunciation
of the governments Irish policy; and as Mr.
Bafour's application of the crimes act in Ire
land has furnished the world with another
sion of the fable of the mountain in labor tue
ex-Premer will doubtless avail himself OF the cir
cumstance to heap sufficient rdcule upon the
Ministry to laugh them out of court. Mr.. John
Morley will preside, and will contribute largely
to the humiliation that wilP be launched upon
the Tories.